Electron discharge apparatus



Aug. 17, 1943.

G. E. MUELLER ELECTRON DISCHARGE APPARATUS Filed July 8, 194.1

Jilin/10001111011111)lrllflnllltllnflnn INVENTOR G- E. MUELLER ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 175 1943 V v -attributable directly to differ'ence's in. the Ve1oci-:' ties of the i'electro'ns constituting the "space cur --re'nt. For example; ire-cathode rayoscillograplis, i jdifierences in--the}ve1ocities ofIthe-electrons con- '10 of the image: produced on:ltln'aiiscreen by the v, Inone illustrative embodiinent; got this inve :tio'n,=-:an electron discharge '{device comprises i iforproducing'anelectron stream anelectron ceiving element snch as} a *fiuorescent-screen between the -fel'eotron stream producin'g-inea I arranged that it'eiiectivelyfselects 'and permi in suc cssion'betwe'en the electron streamsource 5 4 of; this invention. I

"Referring n'ow to'fthe H rdischargexdevice" shown an: Fig. -'1"comprises-an I evacuated enclosing vessel III having at one'end I of deflector'plates lietween eachpair of successive z f tia s an deneeting potentialjsf arev irn'pr'es 'tween -eachpair fof deflectorplates. I e 1 -T1ie eXtent .to which iari' 'electron W111: beside- .5

upon the velo'city oftheelectronL Hence, when lGeorge 7 i iN invention relates to; electron discharge ap in tho'se'whereinla concehtratedelectron stream 5 .is utilized; anumb'er of undesirableefiects are stitnting the eIectrQn "beam result in distortion beam. ,Also, for example, infelectron'discharge amplifiers, the noisegeneratdisdue :in'part to random Velocities of the electrons. r

A {15 One" object of this inventionlis 'tonroduce fa I substantially nnivelocity electron stream inelectron-discharge 'devices ;means, such as. a cathode" 'or-g anj electron gun target or output anode, and an 1electro desyste and the electron: receiving elementi I In 'accordanc'e'with-orie feature of. this in'; tion," the electrode system is so "c'onstructecl and of' passage 'jtherethronghi only those electrons in -thestream whichhave a parti'cnl'ar desired'velocw .ity or velocities within a l-irnited range, 'I n one specific construction," the electrode system in- -c1ude'sf a plurality of barrier electrodes mounted and the electron receiving j'ele'ment and -p'airs blarrier electrodes:thef barrier electrodesf be' *ing provided with *apertures: staggered- "or Z misa'ligned normal? to the fdirectiori o1: pro '40 jtztion 'of thefelectron stream. vbar;-

Zrie rs are maintained 7 at snitablefposititie jpoten-i 45 fictedinornial "to its "in'itial directionlof 'tr'aiiel 1 'b y -a" field normal 'to this} direction ndep ndent a-n electron stream' composed of electrons my- 5 iingdifierent velocitie s is pmecmagmw "'aj'de r:flecting-'ffield', the electrons will'fsufier different;

, at gorize m m APi AItATIlS 'Mueller, Red Bank, Bell Telephone]Laboratories; Incorporated, 9 k. N- 9.' i QfiNe 1 Application}Jnlyl8;:194i; Serial jNt). 01,427 q ym s;g l., sggisg 1 mg; substantiallyedual iyelocities and," their" {His substantially a univelocity stream;. z Theiinventionandtheabove noted-andfother features thereof-willbe nnderstood more-man '7 l Qand fully; from the follovying't detaileddescription with reference -to the"accompanyinefdratiing in :1

1 portion of 2th dricalelectrodesy i re'nt electron-stream;iandT- strode ,"in' Fig.

- may then be s eg egated by locatingathe spam a Iinithe barrier toward whichsthe electrons. are

traveling so that; electrons i with velocities lying withina'desiredirange: pass through theaperture f v whereas .those:zwithVeldcitikes outsidezi'oiizthis a v jr'arigei'mpinge '-'u1oon;;andfa1'"e 'collectedby; the x barrieri Ihis;actionis repeated at 'each barrier 'jsmthatfa hi'ghgdegre'e of selection between elec; tronsz of. different Velocities f i's* realized land zthe stream emanating from th apertnrefi'n the last barrier oftheas'eries is composed-0f elec'trons'hav; V ore,

away; e 'Fijgg2 is ansectionalview: v r 7 chargeedevice illustrative of another embodiment ,.of;fl= thisl invention and comprising "coaxial .cynn

Fig. 3 is a'-"view similarto Pie. 2 dilan hctr'ibh ing-a :single' substantially univelocity high'g cureisaview partlydiagrammatic and rnain T ly in section ofanye'lectron discharge deyice foil the;lvelocityvariation type embodyingieatnres thereof a;collector electrodeor anode l li'and at =ing' therei v v:l'ilirons'h the cathode-|2 andithe collector;eleca r '-Irigthe iparticular"construction n v y; tl'iefap'ertnres inflth'eloarriereleptrodes j a; I3,' [5 and; I5 are mangsmenrafia the aib'e'irtiirew f a; i. fierspective vfview', naitlj diagram! matic, 50f an j electron adi'schar strnc'ted in accordanc'enwith thi H .tinclnding "plane, parallelbarrier electrodes, 2a e; enclosing" vessel, being lojrokerr f ev cev com idischarge vdevice particularlysuitable for prodncisi raining; the lelectron trically to the electrode H6; 1

38 and 39 respectively.

' As shown in Fig. 3, alternateof the annular electrodes 30 .are' connected togetherelectrically and to the auxiliary electrode 32so that al1 'of these electrodes may be'maintained atthe same potential. {The other annular electrodes 3!) are connected'to spaced points on avoltage divider:

auxiliary electrode '32, connected directlyelec- *emanating from the apertures in the electrode H5 are projected radiallythroughthe gap Vbee a tween the grids 34 and 35 between which a high 7. frequency potential is impressed whereby the electrons undergo a velocity variation. The ve- :locity varied streamthen traverses the space between thetwopairs of grids and is converted 33, the connections being'such that the electrode f 39 connected to the divider 33 1and nearest: the

auxiliary" electrode 32 is, at the highest positive potential with respect to the electrode :32 andn the electrode H6 connected thereto.

An electron emanatingffrom'any aperture in the electrode H6 will pass between tWO'tOf f the louver-like electrodes :39 and-,under, theinflu e'nce of the potential therebetween and the "ac- V celerating potential upon the anode,,3l, will bef directed along a curved path, suchas indicated by the broken linesL and L1, toward. the ,col-

j lector electrode 2! I. "The potentialsjbetween 'adjacentelectrodes- 30 defining the circular slots andof the accelerating anode 3l are made such that all the electrons'emanating from the aper j tures in theaelectrode Ilfi arriveatthelpollector electrode 2!! with the same velocity.

into a density varied stream which passes between the grids 36 and.3'l. Energy may be taken from the density variedstream in the region of the grids 36 and-31 in known ways.

.Although specific embodiments of the inven law have been shown and. described, 'itiwill be understood thatthey z'are but illustrative and :that various modifications may be made therein without departing from 'the'scope and spirit of V;

, thisinvention as defined in the appended claims.

,Inanotherembodiment similar toilthatlillustrated in Fig. 3,1 the louver-like electrodes 30 are I l omitted' and means ;are provided for,preducing j externally to the electrode lflfi amagnetic field havinglits lines of force parallel ltojtheflongitudinal axis of :tlle -electrojde's a: The electrons 1 7 emanating from theaperturesfin the; electrode HE'are projected, thus, into substantially para];

, lel electric and magnetic fields :andtraverse :spiral paths in flowingftoward the-accelerating" :anode 3| ,andcollector-electrodeji l I. The'mag I 'j-neti'c field is mlade ofsuch strength thatf the? pitch'ofthe spiral paths traversed by"-the"elec'- -trons" is equal. to the distance :between t e a el:

What is claimedis:

1. Electron discharge appar trostat-i "ing theelectron 'stream approaching each barrier; to] an I extent sufficient to allow only else- {trons having the des tures in: the electrode 1 l6: wherebya single ielec- 2tr on"stre'arri composed {of electronlsffollowihg spi ral"paths and, having the samevelocitvis' nearest'the collector-electrode 2| duced adjacent the end of, the electrode H5 "It will be understood that in'the-construction all illustrated in Fig. 3; suitable. means may be provided between the stream producingsystem andthe' electron 1 stream; 7

The electron discharge device the collector electrode to ,control 'or: modulate Y illustrated in]. f Fig. 4' is of the, velocity Variation type and coin-Z prises a cathode and velocity selecting structure of the form'included'in the device shown in Fig. 2, It comprises alsotwo pairsrof grids 34,

. 8. Electron discharge apparatus cathode; having a cylindrical electron emissive'" surface, acollectorelectrode, a plurality-oi cylin' dricalbarrier electrodes encompassing said jcathode and mounted in succession between said cathode and vsaid'collector electrode, each ofv fsaidjbarrier electrodes having a:plurality of aper- 1 tures therein, the apertures in successivebarrier electrodes being flalignedfradiallybut misaligned 1 35 and 35, 31 which are mounted in coaxial 're lation with oneanother and the velocity selecting structure and are spaced by insulating annuli of ,saidbarrier electrodes, 7 I q ired velocity to 'pass through saidgaperturesg f 2. "Electron discharge apparatus comprising an electron gun, as; electron receiving element: spacedp from said gun, a plurality of barrier] members mounted in-suocession-and spaced relation between said gun and said element, each ,of' said barriermembershaving a restricted aperture therein and theiapertures 'in said; members -being misaligned, and'a'pairfof deflector plates a 'adjace nt each of'said barrier members and one-1 f opposite side's of aline extending between said;

un and said element.

in the direction 'of the longitudinalfaxis of said jcathode, and deflector plat JThesubstantially univelo'city electron streams.

comprising a es adjacent the-ends 

